Hardest team to place is Force India as I expect their car to be the most upgraded from those we saw in Barcelona. If the upgrades don't work then you could drop them behind Toro Rosso (which is where they appear to be right now) whereas if the upgrades do work, they could jump as high as racing Renault for 4th in the WCC.

I'm expecting Merc to be between .5 and 1 second clear of the field, with the Red Bulls and Vettel well matched and Kimi lagging behind a little. Then a big gap of over a second back to the rest of the field, with no team really cut adrift.

I think Sauber are going to be better than many are suggesting. They look like they have put a huge amount of effort in to change the chassis. They also have big new sponsors and an up to date Ferrari engine. Their drivers may not be the best but think they car could possibly be up into the midfield. Sauber sound pretty confident abut their new car to me. could be wong.

Ok, 1-3 is probably wishful thinking.4-8, will change race by race. Too close to call, probably works Renault team will have the overall edge.9,10 Both will be close to the midfield, not close enough. Williams will regret their driver line up.

I think Sauber are going to be better than many are suggesting. They look like they have put a huge amount of effort in to change the chassis. They also have big new sponsors and an up to date Ferrari engine. Their drivers may not be the best but think they car could possibly be up into the midfield. Sauber sound pretty confident abut their new car to me. could be wong.

Personally, I think Sauber's improvement will come next year rather than this year. Keep in mind that it was halfway through the 2017 season before they even pulled out of their Honda deal, and their Alfa Romeo sponsorship wasn't announced until after the season. I think this year is more about building on the stability that last year's announcements afforded them, especially considering the mess that team was in off the track as little as 12 months ago. I don't expect them to be adrift at the back this year, though.

Oh, and you can be wong if you want to, although I'm not sure how racially correct that is

I think McLaren will come good. They have in the past had very poor winter tests, followed by good efforts at getting things sorted for Melbourne. Their car looks fast, and if they can get around they reliability problems around the Renault engine (note the emphasis on McLaren sorting their stuff out, not Renault), then I think they'll be the behind RB & Ferrari, but ahead of the rest.

I think McLaren will come good. They have in the past had very poor winter tests, followed by good efforts at getting things sorted for Melbourne. Their car looks fast, and if they can get around they reliability problems around the Renault engine (note the emphasis on McLaren sorting their stuff out, not Renault), then I think they'll be the behind RB & Ferrari, but ahead of the rest.

I'm predicting a rough year for Force India followed by a big sale of the team at the end of the year. They have overachieved for a long time now but I think this year will be a rough one. I also predict a very difficult year for Williams F1. I think Haas will start out consistently in the points but will fall off the pace over the course of the season. Toro Rosso will be a surprise this year and a solid midfield points scorer.

Why is everyone marking Force India/something down? I really do not know where to put them.Is there any reason they look weak or is it pure politics within the team?

I see Merc clear ahead.

Ferrari are the conundrum and could be better or worse than Red Bull, but this is the top 3, with Kimi the laggard and likely to be a few places below Seb in a few races, and one or two surprise appearances for good measure.

Sauber are defiantly the tail enders, STR are a real unknown and could be 4th or 8th, I would not put money either way.

Now the group in the middle. I have to go for Renault heading it, Mclaren could be there with them or could be a busted flush by trying to run before they walk fast. FI could be with Renault Mclaren or above/below them.

Williams v Haas for the next places, due to driver inconsistency in both teams.

I might as well have come out and said I don't have a clue and finished with it.

I think Sauber are going to be better than many are suggesting. They look like they have put a huge amount of effort in to change the chassis. They also have big new sponsors and an up to date Ferrari engine. Their drivers may not be the best but think they car could possibly be up into the midfield. Sauber sound pretty confident abut their new car to me. could be wong.

Personally, I think Sauber's improvement will come next year rather than this year. Keep in mind that it was halfway through the 2017 season before they even pulled out of their Honda deal, and their Alfa Romeo sponsorship wasn't announced until after the season. I think this year is more about building on the stability that last year's announcements afforded them, especially considering the mess that team was in off the track as little as 12 months ago. I don't expect them to be adrift at the back this year, though.

Oh, and you can be wong if you want to, although I'm not sure how racially correct that is

They were starting to beat the Toro Rossos and Williams at the end of last year. And that was with an engine that wasn't developed all year. I agree with Gianthogweed, I think they are going to be better than expected. Their driver lineup is also superior to Toro Rosso's and possibly Williams too.

I am surprised at how much people are expecting from Toro Rosso. They may have had a relatively trouble-free time in winter testing but I'm not expecting the Honda engine to have caught up with the rest over the winter. They also have a pretty uninspiring driver line-up - Kvyat put Hartley firmly in the shade at the US GP last year. I anticipate that they'll be right at the back.

Agree with the comments about Sauber though, I think they'll be more competitive this year particularly now that they have an up to date Ferrari engine. I'm expecting big things from Leclerc as well.

Overall I think people are reading too much into winter testing. Aside from McLaren making a big step forward I'm not expecting much change in the pecking order from last year. We all thought Mercedes had a massive advantage this time last year too, then Vettel turned up and won in Australia.

_________________"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I am surprised at how much people are expecting from Toro Rosso. They may have had a relatively trouble-free time in winter testing but I'm not expecting the Honda engine to have caught up with the rest over the winter. They also have a pretty uninspiring driver line-up - Kvyat put Hartley firmly in the shade at the US GP last year. I anticipate that they'll be right at the back.

Agree with the comments about Sauber though, I think they'll be more competitive this year particularly now that they have an up to date Ferrari engine. I'm expecting big things from Leclerc as well.

Overall I think people are reading too much into winter testing. Aside from McLaren making a big step forward I'm not expecting much change in the pecking order from last year. We all thought Mercedes had a massive advantage this time last year too, then Vettel turned up and won in Australia.

Last year, there were a lot of people who were Ferrari believers after testing, including myself. They were topping the timesheets consistently, and pundits were raving about the car on track. This year, I hope I'm wrong, but Merc seems in a league of their own.

Newey and Cyril's recent comments suggest it's going to be a bit of a walkover I fear. I can't see them making similar comments if they new Renault and Red Bull were close enough. Newey was critical of the overall regs and Cyril said it's no good knowing who's going to win the championship before even the first race.

There was another rumour in AutoBild that Mercedes found another 50bhp and could carry another 10kg less fuel than last tear where they already had a 10kg advantage over Ferrari.

Greatest F1 engine ever?

_________________"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

I am surprised at how much people are expecting from Toro Rosso. They may have had a relatively trouble-free time in winter testing but I'm not expecting the Honda engine to have caught up with the rest over the winter. They also have a pretty uninspiring driver line-up - Kvyat put Hartley firmly in the shade at the US GP last year. I anticipate that they'll be right at the back.

Agree with the comments about Sauber though, I think they'll be more competitive this year particularly now that they have an up to date Ferrari engine. I'm expecting big things from Leclerc as well.

Overall I think people are reading too much into winter testing. Aside from McLaren making a big step forward I'm not expecting much change in the pecking order from last year. We all thought Mercedes had a massive advantage this time last year too, then Vettel turned up and won in Australia.

Last year, there were a lot of people who were Ferrari believers after testing, including myself. They were topping the timesheets consistently, and pundits were raving about the car on track. This year, I hope I'm wrong, but Merc seems in a league of their own.

Last year James Allen had Ferrari listed as #1. F1 metrics said 'too close to call' between Mercedes & Ferrari.

This year F1 metrics is saying Merc have a clear gap to Ferrari & RBR, then a disappointing gap from there to the rest (hope was Renault or McLaren would be closer). James Allen says Mercedes have a gap to Ferrari & Red Bull, and Ferrari will need to absolutely nail everything whilst hoping Mercedes don't if they want to have a chance (win the development war, no driver errors, no tactical mess-ups...).

Newey and Cyril's recent comments suggest it's going to be a bit of a walkover I fear. I can't see them making similar comments if they new Renault and Red Bull were close enough. Newey was critical of the overall regs and Cyril said it's no good knowing who's going to win the championship before even the first race.

There was another rumour in AutoBild that Mercedes found another 50bhp and could carry another 10kg less fuel than last tear where they already had a 10kg advantage over Ferrari.

Newey and Cyril's recent comments suggest it's going to be a bit of a walkover I fear. I can't see them making similar comments if they new Renault and Red Bull were close enough. Newey was critical of the overall regs and Cyril said it's no good knowing who's going to win the championship before even the first race.

There was another rumour in AutoBild that Mercedes found another 50bhp and could carry another 10kg less fuel than last tear where they already had a 10kg advantage over Ferrari.

Greatest F1 engine ever?

I have heard that publication is not that credible.

I can never remember which Bild is the (supposed) good one and which one's the bad tbh, so could well be. Should always take these things with a healthy pinch of salt of course.

_________________"Clark came through at the end of the first lap so far ahead that we in the pits were convinced that the rest of the field must have been wiped out in an accident."-Eddie Dennis, describing the dominance of Jim Clark in the Lotus 49 at Spa 1967

Newey and Cyril's recent comments suggest it's going to be a bit of a walkover I fear. I can't see them making similar comments if they new Renault and Red Bull were close enough. Newey was critical of the overall regs and Cyril said it's no good knowing who's going to win the championship before even the first race.

There was another rumour in AutoBild that Mercedes found another 50bhp and could carry another 10kg less fuel than last tear where they already had a 10kg advantage over Ferrari.

Greatest F1 engine ever?

I have heard that publication is not that credible.

I can never remember which Bild is the (supposed) good one and which one's the bad tbh, so could well be. Should always take these things with a healthy pinch of salt of course.

I don't know either, it's just something I read in respect to that article.